Device for disintegrating strands of fuel



Jan. 6, 1959 J. J. MARTIN 2,367,385

DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING STRANDS OF FUEL Filed March 27, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 1 u A 0 q 42 IINVENTOR. dbl-IA NNES \bSEFM/l RT N.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 6, 1959 Filed March 27, 1957 J. J. MARTIN 2,867,385

DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING STRANDS OF FUEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNE).

United States 1 DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATING STRANDS OF FUEL The presentinvention relates to a device for disintegrating or dividing a strand offuel as is discharged from a coal bin, for example, by a screw conveyor.

.The device according to the invention includes disintegrating memberswhich are individually mounted on arms supported by a drive shaft whoserotation axis is parallel to the direction of the axial movement of thefuel strand.

If the fuel contains sticky matter it is compacted in the screw conveyorto form a continuous strand. The disintegrating members act like peelingknives on the strand of fuel entering the device, i. e. they scrape offthe surface layer of the fuel mass.

An apparatus of the type described above is likely to become jammed orblocked by foreign bodies contained in the fuel strand, such as piecesof wood, wire, bolts, fishplates, etc., so that the apparatus may beseverely damaged.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedapparatus for disintegrating a strand of fuel which apparatus eliminatesthe shortcomings of the conventional devices by safeguarding thedisintegrating members or peeling knives against overload. Thissafeguard is effected according to the invention in two stages. Minorand temporary irregularities are met by flexibly connecting the peelingknives with their support arms, for example, by means of coil springs.If the elastic deflection of the peeling knives is insufficient toovercome the obstruction, the axial pressure of the fuel strand and/ orof the obstructive bodies acting on the disintegrating mechanism is usedfor suddenly interrupting the drive of the device.

The novel features which are considered charactertistic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, and additional objects and advantages thereof will bestbe understood from the following description of an embodiment thereofwhen read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section of a disintegrating deviceaccording to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of an apparatus according to the invention,including a plurality of devices of the type shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a large scale side view of a detail of the device according tothe invention;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the detail shown in Fig. 3.

Like parts are designated by like numerals in all figures of thedrawing. 1

Referring more particularly to the drawing the fuel, i. e., coal, istransported from a bin, not shown, by means of a screw conveyor 8 in thedirection of the arrow 21 and is in a rather compact form beforereaching the dividing or disintegrating device at the right end of theconveyor 8. After disintegration of the fuel strand the coal drops intoa shaft 20 in the direction of arrow 22, the shaft leading, for example,to a furnace. The screw conveyor 8 includes a hollow shaft which isatent 2,86 7,385 Patented Jan,

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supported in a bearing 14 connected with a duct 18 by means of a bracket13. The disintegrating device includes a shaft 12 extending into thehollow shaft 15. The shaft 12 supports a carrier having arms 3individually carrying disintegrating members which are in the form ofpeeling knives 1. If desired, a disk may be provided instead of the arms3. The shaft 12 is driven by means of a drive wheel '7 and is connectedwith the carrier by a clutch which will be described later.

The knives 1 are individually connected with the arms 3, or a disk, bymeans of coil springs 2 which aflford yieldingly giving Way of theknives 1 to an obstruction. Depending on the type and size of theobstructive bodies a pressure component may be produced in the axialdirection of the movement of the fuel strand which is too great to beabsorbed by the coil springs 2. To cope with such an increased overloadan additional safeguard is provided in the disintegrating deviceaccording to the invention. An excessively increased pressure acting inthe'axial direction of the fuel strand actuates a clutch which islocated in the interior of the hub 10 supporting the arms 3 or formingpart of a disk carrying the springs 2. The clutch comprises claws 4'which preferably extend radially from a sleeve 11 mounted on the shaft12 and which are adapted to be inserted into corresponding gaps 4provided inside the hub 14 upon axial movement of the hub to the left inFig. 1. If the hub is moved to the right the claws 4 move out of thegaps 4 and can rotate freely in an interior annular'groove 9 surroundingthe sleeve 11. The sleeve 11 is rigidly connected with and driven by awheel 7 which may be a gear wheel or a sprocket wheel depending on theavailable drive means.

The clutch 11, 4, 4, 10 is actuated by means of leaf springs 5 which aresupported by the drive wheel 7 and individually confined within a spacewhich is smaller than the lengths of the individual springs for bendingthe springs to form a bulge adapted to snap in axial direction of thedrive shaft between positions 50 and 5b, shown in Fig. 3'.

The middle portions of the springs 5 extend into an annular groove onthe outside of the hub 10. By confining the springs into a space whichis shorter than the lengths of the unstressed springs the springs arebent and yield to pressure which acts at a right angle to the planes ofthe springs in a snapping manner, i. e., the springs tend to escape thebending stress by assuming a configuration which corresponds to thelength of the spring. The drawing shows the clutch in engaged positionwhereby the bulges of the springs extend to the left (5a in Fig. 3). Theclutch provided between the hub 10 and the drive wheel 7 is disengagedwhen the middle portions of the leaf springs are pressed to the rightuntil the springs snap into the right end position 5b shown in dash-dotlines in Fig. 3. The leaf springs take along the hub 10, when moving tothe right so that the gaps 4 move out of; engagement with the claws 4',interrupting the drive of the peeling means 1, 2, 3.

The pressure exerted by the leaf springs 5 in axial direction isadjustable. For this purpose pins 23 are provided on the drive wheel 7,each pin extending through apertures provided at the superposed ends oftwo springs 5. The illustrated embodiment comprises three pins 23 andthree leaf springs 5. An elongated hole 16 is provided on at least oneend of each spring. One end of each spring abuts against an adjustingscrew 6 screwed in a suitable boss 24 on the wheel 7. By manipulatingthe adjusting screws 6' the size of the bulge of the springs can bechanged for adjusting the pressure needed for acting against the bulgeof the springs for snapping the springs from one extreme position intothe opposite extrerne position.

A particular advantage of the device according to the invention is that,if a plurality of devices are used, only the device is cut out in whichthe obstruction occurs. All the other comminuting devices continue tooperate normally.

. To re-engage the clutch after it has been automatically disengaged,the carrier for the knives 1 need only be pushed to the left which canbe done by a rod or by means of a lever 17 which is pivoted to the frameof the apparatus and which has an end extending into an annular groovein a rim 19 provided on the carrier. The position of the lever 17indicates whether a fuel strand is moving normally or whether there isan irregularity. The lever 17 may be used for actuating a switch forremote indication of the position of the individual devices.

It is a particular advantage of the invention that the safeguard meansfor the comminuting device require very little space. The use of leafsprings responding to axial pressure makes it possible to make thecomminuting device very short.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for dividing up or disintegrating fuel masses after theyhave been fed thereto by a conveyor, said device comprising a rotatabledrive shaft whose rotation axis is substantially parallel to thedirection of movement of the fuel masses entering the device, a carriermember extending at a right angle from and being axially movable on saidshaft between two extreme positions, said carrier member having a sidefacing the entering fuel mass, a plurality of disintegrating membersflexibly connected with said carrier member and extending from said sidesubstantially parallel to the rotation axis of said shaft and in adirection opposite to the direction of movement of the fuel mass foreffecting disintegration of the fuel mass in a plane locatedsubstantially at a right angle to the direction of movement of the fuelmass, clutch means operatively associated with said carrier member andwith said shaft for rotation of said carrier member by said shaft whensaid carrier member is in a predetermined axial position on said shaftand for permitting free rotation of said shaft relatively to saidcarrier member when the latter is axially moved out of saidpredetermined position by the fuel mass entering the device, saidcarrier member having a hub portion axially movable on said shaft andforming one half of said clutch means, said hub portion having acircumferential portion, a radial recess in said circumferentialportion, a leaf spring extending into said recess, and an elementextending radially of said shaft, said leaf spring having an end rigidlyconnected with said element distant from said shaft, said leaf springbeing initially bent to retain said carrier member in either one of itsextreme axial positions.

2. A device for dividing up or disintegrating fuel masses after theyhave been fed thereto by a conveyor, said device comprising a rotatabledrive shaft whose rotation axis is substantially parallel to thedirection of movement of the fuel masses entering the device, a carriermember extending at a right angle from and being axially movable on saidshaft between two extreme positions, said carrier member having a sidefacing the entering fuel mass, a plurality of disintegrating membersfiexibly connected with said carrier member and extending from said sidesubstantially parallel to the rotation axis of said shaft and in adirection opposite to the direction of movement of the fuel mass foreffecting disintegration of the fuel mass in a plane locatedsubstantially at a right angle to the direction of movement of the fuelmass, clutch means operatively associated with said carrier member andwith said shaft for rotation of said carrier member by said shaft whensaid carrier member is in a predetermined axial position on said shaftand for permitting free rotation of said shaft relatively to saidcarrier member when the latter is axially moved out of saidpredetermined position by "the fuel mass entering the device, a drivewheel mounted on said shaft, said carrier member having a hub axiallymovable on said shaft and forming one half of said clutch, a leaf springhaving a middle portion engaged by said hub, and support means connectedwith said drive wheel and engaging the ends of said leaf spring forsupporting said spring in a position substantially parallel to saidwheel and confining said spring within a space smaller than the lengthof said spring for bending said spring to form a bulge adapted to snapin the axial direction of said drive shaft for snappingly moving saidhub between the clutch engaging and the clutch disengaging position. 7

3. A device according to claim 2 in which said support means include twopins mounted on said drive wheel and in which said spring has anaperture at each end, said apertures individually receiving one of saidpins, at least one of said apertures being greater in the longitudinaldirection of said spring than the cross section of the pin received inthe aperture, said support means including adjustable spring tensioningmeans abuttingly engaging an end of said spring.

4. A device according to claim 3, including a boss axially extendingfrom said wheel, said spring tensioning means including an adjustingscrew having an end abutting against an end of said spring, said screwbeing screwed into said boss and extending in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of said spring.

5. A device according to claim 2, including a conveyor worm for thefuel, said conveyor worm having a hollow shaft, said drive shaftextending into and being rotatably supported by said worm shaft, clawsconnected with said drive shaft, said hub being provided with gapsadapted to receive said claws.

6. A device according to claim 5, including a bushing mounted on saiddrive shaft and rigidly connected with said wheel, said claws radiallyextending from said bushmg.

7. A device according to claim 5 in which said hub is provided with aninternal annular groove surrounding said drive shaft, said gapsextending axially of said groove and the latter accommodating said clawswhen the clutch is disengaged. I

8. A device according to claim 2; including a stationary housing, anannular groove in said carrier member, a lever swingably supported bysaid housing andhaving an end received in said groove for axially movingsaid carrier member against the action of said spring.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 786,293Johnston Apt- 4, 1905 2,094,971 Surdy Oct. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS705,070 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1954 1,096,107 France Dec. 29, 1954

